I really think that there is something going on between Eliot and Nate, as Becks said. Just in this episode alone Nate had Hardison be the thug and he also told Eliot to sit the rest of the job out. I wonder if it's cause of everything that happened in the season finale last season? I don't know...but I do think that we are going to find out shortly.

Gina-on the Eliot thing, I assume that Eliot's probably better in the crowd control role there. Not only to push Rockwell but also to make sure that no one else tries to get heroic and take Hardison out.

Those first attempts at making Rockwell a hero were awesomely funny - not sure if I liked Sophie with the baby carriage or mugger Eliot better. And then the actual mechanics of the con were great, from the you tube hits worm to the importance of gaining traction on a lower rated news show. Really sharp and reminiscent of the San Lorenzo Job in terms of cynical media culture worldview.

I haven't seen Eliot as unusually pissed at Nate in the last two eps, but now I can totally see Eliot taking his block off.

You got me worried though. I don't really want Nate to be stuck in that thief vs. Honest man rut again. Haven't we already established that he's both?

@pkate3: I know what civet coffee is -- I've gotten some in the past. That's why I asked -- it was "coffee with civet," which wouldn't be weasel-poop coffee. And I don't know of any coffee shop that would have it...

I think Eliot has always been the one besides Sophie to get in Nate's face to keep him as in line as possible. I'm guessing it's all part of the "consequences" theme for the season. You can only push people around so long before they will eventually push back. I just hope he doesn't "push" back too hard.

Okay - I'm wondering if Nate is actually a little afraid of using Eliot and that's why he's being a bit of a jerk toward him. Random question from way back in season 2 opener and all of season 2. Is Eliot still in the military? Is this a secret arc?

I don't understand the bit about the negatives from the car accident. I took three semesters of photography in college with real cameras and film and dark rooms and all that stuff and I don't understand how you could alter real negatives. Can anyone help me with that part?

Otherwise that was a REALLY funny episode with tons of little call backs, character moments, and some funny meta aspects too.

I'd love to see a flashback in a later season to Parker attending the "Emotion is Your Friend" motivational speech. She seemed really excited about that one. :)

This was a great episode. I concur on Parker's squee and Hardison's Yoda rant. As someone who has spent an hour and a half trying to explain to a foreign exchange student exactly why the new movies are crap I can feel Hardison's pain.

My only question (which may be construed as snark and therefore ignored if needed) is how much Frizz-Ease do you have to put into Christian's hair to keep it straight in those humid Portland exterior shots?

As a curly haired person who has lived her entire adult life in the subtropics I recognize the signs and I have great respect for the poor on-location hair artist with the flat iron.

@Rachael: I believe the idea was that Our Villain (yes, I just watched the episode and I've already forgotten the character's name!) replaced the entire roll of film. He photographed each shot on the roll except for the incriminating one, where he took a picture of his doctored shot. (He would have had to develop the original roll first.) He then substituted his roll for the original. Mr. Rogers or others, please feel free to confirm or deny.

It took three episodes, but this season has finally hit its stride. This was a superb show, and Nate having to destroy *himself* was a very creative idea.

I've previous expressed my concern about the amount of media time the Leverage crew seems to get, and yet presumably no one recognizes them. The show seems to want to have it both ways: Our Heroes can recognize people from a single TV appearance, yet Eliot and Sophie in particular have had lots of media exposure and no one connects the dots. Perhaps this would be something good to reference at some point in the series - there is a trend this season to turn perceived weaknesses into story beats; the "steal a mountain again" reference, the self-referential bits for Nate in this episode - but at the moment, it seems like a bit of a hole.

I'm also concerned that the show may be trying TOO hard to make Nate unlikable. Your DVD commentaries keep repeating the point, and the episodes now seem to be driving it home VERY strongly. We still need to be able to root for him, and his crew still needs to work with (not for) him and support him.

Keep up the great work, and I look forward to more engaging episodes as the season continues!

re: the coffee - The line is "half-caf Indonesian civet with soy milk," not "coffee with civet." Still, just ... eww.

Loved the parallels between Nate and Rockwell. Especially loved Sophie pointing out Nate's need to gloat. He does seem to need to be recognized as the agent of destruction.

I do have to wonder how much longer Eliot's going to tolerate being brushed off by Nate. He's the one most directly responsible for the team's safety, is raising some very valid concerns … and Nate's treating him like a lackey. Given this season's "theme," are we going to see any consequences of that?

Also, when Eliot left (after being dismissed by Nate), Parker seemed to follow. Was she showing a moment of solidarity with Eliot? It seemed like a nice nod to their developing rapport, as well as a none-too-subtle jab at Nate. I mean, how bad is your behavior if Parker is offended?

@PurpleOps – I'm not sure the team's face time on TV would be a problem. In our media-saturated culture, we're inundated by an endless stream of faces every day, to the point that I doubt most of them stick in our brains. Especially if they're not "famous" faces.

How many of us scrutinize the faces of the "regular" people we see on the local news and remember them? Why would we remember them? Heck, I have no idea who half the so-called "famous" people I see on TV are. I'm sure not gonna recognize some random stranger on my local news. ;)

This week's Leverage finally got me to post how great of a job you guys did this week. Definitely outstanding. There are so many wonderful tidbits foreveryone. When Nate kicked Eliot off the job I finally understood why you didn't answer anyone's "eliot seems really angry this season" questions from last week.

It seems odd to me though that a senator knows about the leverage team? Seems really high profile for them even if it is an old friend of Nate's.

Also, aside from staging, why did eliot move over to the seat next to parker when they were discussing Rockwell in the beginning? It seemed odd to devote a camera angle and cut to it.

So many great Parker lines: "how would I destroy me?" "yeah, and you can't say booze." Love it "Or Reed used to be Rita. What? We were all thinking it." Gold! Parker just gave ME tips on picking up a guy at a bar. Now that is progress! Squee! And speaking of Parker, Beth's sister was the barista, right?

Please tell me Hardison is using the video of Eliot getting hit by the old lady for something nefarious.

Underhill24601 - What is the significance?

As soon as it started I said "oh no, eliot did not just totally start the slow clap. Love it!"

How is it Sophie has been the voice of reason this season? She has been the team's moral compass for quite sometime but it seems to really be shining this season. Definite character development.

"Recognition, validation - those are the things that are going to fill that hole that is somewhere deep inside you. Take away the pain." Just who was Nate talking about? As soon as he said that I knew he had to be taking it personally. We hadn't learned anything about Rockwell for Nate to make that assumption about him feeling pain.

Why was Nate so hungover the next day? Yes, he's an alcoholic but I thought he was functioning. Sleeping in his clothes seems like such a reversion back to season one Nate. Is that the parallel we are supposed to draw from that?

As soon as Eliot broke the door my first thought was "now who is gonna pay for that?" I should have known you guys had it covered.

When Sophie said she wasn't sure who she wanted to win, I was forced to contemplate the question as well. Damn you Rogers and your excellent writing team for making me examine Nate's character and which would be a better member of the team. Not a better person, just a better member of the team. You guys are amazing! Can't wait for next Sunday and more info on the big bad!

This was a very interesting episode - it seemed very full. I liked that you brought Nate's friend back at the end; it was a good bookend, especially since the middle was so full of material that had nothing to do with him.

Eliot does seem to be on Nate's case a lot this season, as does Sophie, only Nate is calling Eliot out on it a lot more than with Sophie. Is this because Sophie is better able to work her way around Nate's rough edges and come at things from several different angles where as Eliot goes straight from direct to angry?

I was curious about Parker, too, following Eliot out, even though she hadn't been participating in the conversation. I didn't see Hardison leave, though. Did Parker really go after Eliot to, what? help him verbalize his feelings? make sure he didn't start a fight down in the bar? I like that they're developing sort of a friendship, that they understand a bit of each other in a way the others don't. I just wonder what we would have seen if the camera had followed them out of the apartment.

Finally, I wanted to ask about Nate. Nate said, "We take Rockwell down the same way we'd take me down." And Sophie kept saying she was afraid Nate would manage to go down with Rockwell. Would Nate succumb to the limelight like Rockwell did? Is he feeling under appreciated, despite the fact that they've had 3 (now 4) very successful cons in a row, even if Nate took a bit of an unorthodox route in the last two?

We've seen some of the marks recognize when they're being conned. What kept Rockwell from noticing that Nate was listing all of his own tactics back to him? Nate was definitely not subtle about this. Blinded by the realization that being in the spotlight could be attractive?

Wow! Fantastic episode! Very intense! What with Sophie's constant warnings, I was very afraid the whole thing may go straight to hell in the end! Michael Gladis... AMAZING! He played a very intriguing villain; I sometimes found myself almost sympathetic ...almost! The team really slammed him in the end though!

The attempts to make Rockwell a hero, absolutely hilarious! His speech reminded me of a Nathan Fillion's song in Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, 'Everybody's a Hero'.

Parker was very sweet , with the brochures, and her successful grift! How much coaching did she need from Sophie for that?

Phew, the Nate/ Eliot tension is scaring me a bit... When Nate told him to take the rest of the job off; Eliot did a good job keeping his cool.

Is Nate scared of anything? He seems pretty scary himself, I would never try to mess with him. In earlier seasons, he seemed more afraid of no longer being the 'honest man'. What about now?

And I'm just curious: does the team have their own keys to the apartment. I know Parker doesn't need one, and Hardison's the landlord, but what about Sophie and Eliot. Did Nate or Hardison give them some or did obtain them in a more underhand manner...

Nice camera work of going through the walls.Evil speech of evil at the beginning? Nice!Disappointing that the credits haven’t been changed back to MastermindGood to see Nate & Sophie doing Client meetings together againEven Nate’s friend seems a little concerned about his drinking.Star Trek/Star Wars snark is hilarious!Cool that Eliot did some of the recon relayAlmost a part of the teamNate & Sophie vs. Parker/Hardison/EliotNice sarcasm Sophie!Fake help situations are hilarious!“Get your ass!”Eliot seems impressed w/ Hardison’s work. Or maybe his own?Does Parker have an appletini?No stabbing Wednesdays, LOL!!What’s with Nate being such a micro-manager of Hardison?I like that Sophie is the voice of reason.Fake audience, hilarious!Aww, we appreciate you Hardison!Did Nate hypnotize Rockwell a little bit before he went on stage?Pretty good speech, inspirational yet vague.Looks like Nate had another drunk night.Nice fight, great form!I like that Eliot fixed the screen door.How did Parker get in and out of the room?Pardison FTW!!Parker’s locked off comedy is adorableWow, Nate’s being a total ass this week.I like how Parker supports her “siblings” when Nate offends one of them. Always walks out with them to show her disapproval.Cool shot of Nate’s reflection in the laptop.Rockwell’s office looks so familiar, was it used in another episode?Parker driving, AWESOME!!!Did Chris get to crash the truck? Probably not.Best gloat EVER!!!!Nice apology/forgiveness exchangeSophie’s putting Nate in his place a lot lately. I like it!Aww…the goodnight kiss.Finally, an appearance from Mr. Latimer.Nice touch with Nate turning off the light & going back into the shadows. A little play on the black king/white knight theme maybe?

I have to say, I love the tone so far this season - the villains are darker, and there's a seriousness and weight but without losing the snappy dialog and fun.

This episode just brilliantly addressed the moral ambiguity of what the team does. I actually felt a little uncomfortable with their con for basically the first time ever. Using a guy like Rockwell - who uses so many of their same tactics - as a bad guy was a a great idea.

Timothy Hutton was phenomenal, too. When the show gives him some drama and darkness, he really digs in. Someone should give him an award or something. Michael Gladis was also awesome, making Rockwell bad but also ever so slightly sympathetic.

Really liked the intro of Latimer, too, and you gotta think it ain't so easy to get Nate Ford's cell number. And his soliciting Nate to pick up Rockwell's business just really twisted that little moral ambiguity knife into Nate's gut, you could see.

And finally, that last shot of Nate leaving the bar and walking into darkness as Rockwell was led in cuffs into the darkness on TV - that freaking gave me goosebumps.

A couple of questions, though.

If Nate is an honest man, does that mean he can no longer be a con artist? Cause you guys are making me nervous there.

Is Nate really so susceptible to fame, as Rockwell was, or is it just the idea that you would need to draw him out to bring him down? I see Nate's gloating as more a function of anger than desire for recognition.

@Kristin - Nate's friend wasn't a senator, just a candidate. He's a district attorney now, so probably has prosecuted some of the folks the team has brought down and with his connection with Bonnano, e.g., is pretty well aware of the team.

This episode made me realize that I need to stop trying to predict the show (of all shows, really) and just enjoy it. I spent so much time waiting for the "twist" (aka, how will the bad guy turn it around and try to screw the good guys), and I was missing a great episode unfolding on its own.

Also, Parker's read on "Squee" needs to be my new ringtone. Between that, and the scene with Sophie and the baby carriage; Josh Schaer (whose name I actually bothered to look up, just to give him proper due) is my new best friend.

I confess, I was expecting Rockwell to turn the tables on them somewhere, and was very suspicious of the target of attempted bribery. For a Nate-equivalent, I was expecting more resistance. Although he refusal to be a hero was pretty outstanding...

So, every time Nate mouths off to, or generally dismisses Elliots' concerns I feel a general sphincter clench in the country! The tension between the two is palpable. (1) What is the outcome going to be? (2) Will Elliot be the one to walk away this time, just so Nate gets a taste of what it would be like without his muscle? (3) Will one of the weaker members have to get hurt for Nate to consider his drinking? (4) Is the tension due to the nature of Nates' relationship with Sophie? Or, (5) Is it that he's keeping the relationship from the team, or thinks he is? After all it is a form of conning the team. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, you must not sleep much. Love your show!

Ok Hardison holding the gun according to what coast your from. "Classic" and Elliot with the slow clap start was hilarious. Did the actors improv that or was that written in either way it worked. Best show on tv and best assemble of actors on tv. Of course scripts are great as well and how you guys interact with the fans of the show says a lot about you guys character.

Am I the only one in love with Nate around here? Must be my undying crush on Tim Hutton coming through. Hope he never plays a serial killer or something, because I'll probably love him just the same. :-)

All that to say, Eliot better NOT rearrange his face!! It's such an adorable face. . . .

Loved the episode. This one wasn't talked about much before this past week, but I think it's one of the best Leverage episodes. It had the right amount of drama to comedy and I LOVED it.I salute thee Josh Schaer. Now on to the questions.

Kind of like Mercedes A's question.

1)I'll say "if" but it's more of a "when" the rest of the team finds out about Nate/Sophie will they feel like they've been betrayed by the duo? Because Elliot doesn't like when people con their own crew.

2)Just like my first question. With the way the team has become a family will that add tension because of secrets kept? Like what Elliot did last season and Nate/Sophie?

3) Does the rest of the team even know that Elliot killed all those people?

4) Will Nate ever realize he can't be an honest man when he is in fact a thief? I would say he's an honest thief.

5)In the last scene with Nate/Sophie was that her way of telling him she loves him either way?

6)Did we get an answer to who Nate chose to be in that last scene when he left the drink on the bar and turned the light to darkness or was it just a plot point to the epidoe?

7)Nate actually let someone in on his childhood, is that a sign of him improving on any front?

8)So I'm thinking since Rockwell had a skeleton in his closet, is there one in Nate's we haven't been privy too?

9)Nate seems to need validation and recognition in what they are doing. In some twisted way is he getting or going to get that satisfaction from the "Big Bad"?

@Philip, I thought she was telling Eliot he should go to that one. Hee. But I could be wrong...I love it either way. I also love that she seemed really interested in the one called, "Emotion is Your Friend." I can see her there taking notes in her little notebook.

Another amazing episode! I loved the camaraderie between the characters this episode. The Nate/Eliot bit of Nate throwing Eliot off the case was a bit scary, but very well acted. Just one question about that, though. If Nate kicked Eliot off the case, how come Eliot was the one who ended up crashing the car into the one Parker was driving? It is possible I missed the explanation on it, though.

@ChelseaNH - I agree on the Nate/Eliot thing. I don't think Nate ever intended to really kick Eliot off the case or that anyone on the team would stand for that if he did. I took it as a verbal jab more than anything, more of "if you don't like what I'm doing, leave." And of course, as Eliot has said in the past, I leave the team when I decide to leave the team.

I'm on board with Nate respect. I think he gets a bad rap, and too often, the team are viewed as his victims. He pushes them to their limits, but that's HIS job that they all begged him to do and 95% of the time, things work out. And when they spectacularly failed in Season 2, Nate made sure that he was the one who went down for it, not anyone else. With that track record, maybe they should all stop whining and just do their jobs? ;)

It's not that black and white, I know, but sometimes it seems that whenever the team complains, a lot of folks are immediately like "yeah! Nate is such a meanie!" But really - Hardison hacked history and stole an election, is an old house really going to stop him? Eliot single handedly killed 5 billion assassins with their guns aimed at him in the season finale (okay, slight exaggeration), do we not think that he can probably handle almost anything that they have to deal with?

I felt the last two were a little loosey goosey when it came to spelling out what sort of evidence was going to be used to put the bad guys away for good, but this time around you spelled it out with wonderful clarity, and I loved the fact that Hardison uses "Underhill" as his screen name always nice to see an LoTR reference!

I don't get why they couldn't bring him down with the same video they hyped him up with. All they needed to do was show the beginning of the video where Rockwell tries to convince the masked gun man to take someone else hostage and also show that he was pushed into the gun man. That would show that he is no hero and yet taking all the credit.@antisocialbutterflieI actually notice the hair and wondered about it. If you watch the part where Eliot is beating up the henchman by the trailer you'll see that his hair is very puffy. In the next scene with him its a lot flatter, I was trying to figure out why it changed like that, but as you pointed out it most me the weather outside.

I can't help but wonder if Eliot is a little more pissed with Nate because Nate's actions forced Eliot to go back to killing people. It was pretty much Nate's fault that they were blackmailed by the Italian and because of that Eliot had to pick up that gun and use it. Not what he wanted to do. And now Nate continues to back the team into a corner and refuses to listen to any of Eliot's warnings. I thought Eliot has been naysaying many of Nate's ideas, more then he used to, and maybe that is because he worries that Nate is going to put them into an impossible situation again and next time Eliot might not be able to get them out. I don't think Eliot likes the person he becomes when he has to kill people, and he is trying to make up for his past.

But... but... but... authors don't get paid to do book signings. Publishers send authors on book tours (aka signings) as a way to promote their books, and pay the expense of the tour, but the author would have been paid up front in the form of an advance.

(maybe someone already mentioned this upstream, I haven't read all of the comments)

@allyone – And when they spectacularly failed in Season 2, Nate made sure that he was the one who went down for it, not anyone else.

Let's not forget that "they spectacularly failed" in S2 because Nate went completely off the rails, refused to listen to any of their concerns, got himself cornered by Sterling and the FBI and then neglected to tell the team about the deal he'd made. In fact, Nate has a track record of going off the rails and refusing to listen to the rest of the team, which more than once has landed them in trouble. I love Nate to death, but he is a seriously troubled man with huge control issues, and a truly arrogant bastard.

For Eliot (or anyone else) to point out that Nate's making them work off some half-assed plan that's being made up as they go isn't whining, it's the concern of professionals whose lives are on the line that Nate might just be playing fast and loose with those lives. They've got every right to question him and call him on his bullshit.

Nate going to prison, which was his choice and plan in season 2 finale, setup the team to be blackmailed by the Italian. If Nate had been honest with the team he might not have ended up in prison and the Italian wouldn't have had leverage over the team.

@24jg13 - Nate being in prison was an entirely separate issue. That had nothing to do with the Italian getting leverage on them. Her leverage was - take down Moreau or I'll kill the rest of your team and throw you in a jail cell (and not because of any specific crimes, as Rogers has stated before). She could have done that whether Nate had gone to jail or not.

And Nate's plan in the San Lorenzo Job was NOT one that everyone bitched about. Eliot didn't have a problem with it and neither did anyone else. Eliot was the one who volunteered to approach Moreau with Hardison and Eliot got the information about the warehouse that led to the set up. It was a bad set up circumstances - not some muck up by Nate.

@SueN - I'm not saying Nate's a nice guy and I'm being very tongue in cheek about them "whining" (although Hardison complaining about the old house - totally whining).

Nate's whole being in prisong was a test run for the Italian and let's not forget that part of the deal was clean records for the team. And if Nate's plan was so great, why was it necessary for Tara to call in Sophie, let's not forget that Sophie pretty much knew Nate was going to push one of the jobs too far and told Tara to call her if they needed her which they did. the team didn't complain about the plan because Nate didn't tell them the whole plan. the whole going after Moreau was because of Nate. eliot volunteered to go in with Hardison cause it was the only way anyone had a chance of coming out alive and Hardison almost didn't.

Look right or wrong, I think Eliot might have some strong misgivings about following Nate after the Big Bang and San Lorenzo jobs and his rushing plans for the last few jobs.

Great episode, as always! My favorite part would have to be the "Rockwell being unheroic" montage. Pure comedy gold. Also, it was very interesting to see the point where Eliot says "I don't care what Nate says or if it jeopardizes the job, someone's going to get hurt and I need to stop it." It was also interesting to see a much more Nate-centered con, in that Nate and Hardison seemed to be the only ones involved in the long-running con while Eliot, Sophie and Parker were stuck running the various short cons. I mean, Sophie could have easily played Nate's role, but instead he took that job.

One question: This season seems to be going for more explicit comedy, going beyond one liners and into more "wacky hijinks" like the costume party last episode or the unheroic montage this week. Is this on purpose? (Not that I'm complaining. Somehow you know when it's good to be funny and when you should be dramatic instead.)

I need to watch the Big Bang and San Lorenzo jobs again to reconfigure where Eliot's coming from. It might be the fact that I had a splitting headache last night, or maybe I'm just dense, but I didn't notice Eliot being particularly mad until Nate entered his "this job hits close to home, so I'm going to shut myself off from your legitimate concerns and whip up a half-assed plan as I go along" mode. And considering that that's when Nate tends to go off the rails, you can't really blame him.

While there are just so many questions related to Nate's high handed behaviour and approach to the team (Elliot & Sophie) especially who have been supporting him throughout his ordeal; it seems to me that you ("devlish devlin conspirator"- hahaha) have a few surprise tricks to bring that all together in the character development of Nate & Sophie (as you revealed somewhat in clues in the interview together with Dean). I have nothing but praise for the writers, directors and actors (Tim&Gina as usual in their element; Christian keeps getting better with each episode). Kudos to you and the team John. I am certainly relieved to see that you and the writers are aware of the mature audience following of this series in that the character development and relationship of Nate & Sophie keeps on a move and is not sidetracked or digressed. ITS GONNA BE A HECK OF A SEASON!!!

On second vieweing, this one gets even better. I hadn't really noticed the parallel b/n Nate and Rockwell in the ending or how good Nate does selling the con. He can be Hardison-like in his overracting sometimes on the cons, but even Sophie looked impressed.

One reason I think Michael Gladis was so good is that he didn't play it too broad. When he gives the speech and talks to Parker in the bar, he's kinda likeable. That really makes what the team does all that much more morally ambiguous, even though clearly he is a bad guy. Did you guys intentionally set out to cast someone who played Rockwell a little less cartoonishly?

(And don't get me wrong, I love over the top Leverage villains, but not going that direction here was perfect for this episode.)

Nate was troubled by seeing the mirror raised to their own behavior, but was anyone else? Or is the rest of the team still perfectly content with their methods as long as they're helping someone in the end?

I do worry a bit that we're revisiting Nate's identity crisis from the first two seasons, yet I know we're way early and you guys are smarter than that, I just worry by nature. Any chance that the thing Nate's anger can't beat is something less related to cons and more related to his relationship with, oh I don't know, someone on the team whose name he may have forgotten? (Hey, a girl's gotta try.)

Had to spend some time thinking about this one. DARK. It can't be just the way you guys are lighting and coloring the shots. I am getting so much DARK (almost -- almost -- to the point I feel like you aren't sure I get it. I get it. I'm actually scared.)

Elliot & Nate -- yeah, that's long been the relationship I've found the most interesting and least explored. The two gunslingers, the two who started out the most on par. It seems that Elliot has either forgiven, swallowed, excused, understood, or just accepted a lot of the shit Nate has thrown at him and the team. It's certainly the most mysterious relationship of the group. I get almost every other pairing, but that's the one I really really REALLY would like to see more of. That's the one that feels the most distant from resolution. It's been developing in the background, things are piling up, but nothing happens.

(and no, not for prurient reasons. Stop that.)

It comes down to a group of points for me -- the pilot pool table conversation, the remark about the drinking being a symptom,the remark in Zanzibar Market about Elliot being purposefully the "underestimated" on, the last look as Elliot boarded the helicopter (he HAD to see that Nate was down) and now this season with Elliot really getting up on Nate's attitude...there is a LOT of tension there, much of it not fully explained and not understood (by me, at least -- secret decoder ring, someone?) and therefore it is the most interesting.

Do I even need to compliment the episode? Don't you see how deep in I am? That should speak for itself.

Would Eliot really rearrange Nate's face? Especially now that we are four seasons in and as you have pointed out so many times, they have become a close knit family unit. It would be like my son smacking his daddy around because they disagree. Won't happen in my family. Too much respect.

And seeing that the apartment is bugged, wouldn't the team be wary about the bar and all of their abodes having listening devices as well? Seems logical to me. Why do I get a feeling they ALL are already building up a con for the new big baddie? Pretending Nate is perhaps falling apart again but this time for Mr. Latimer's benifit. Yeah, I know, wait, watch and see.

Excellent season so far John.

Oh, I love Nate too. He's still the broken sexy man Tara described him as. Don't fix him. He'd never get the job done!!!Debbie

That's a good question about why he would meet Nate in public. But I think since Nate operates like Rockwell, ala in the shadows, no one would recognize them really.

But if Ed had met them at the bar, which is probably bugged some way or another word would get back to the "Big Bad" and Ed Kelly could've be destroyed by being seen with Nate, but given that the outside world, other than their clients and people they put in jail, don't know what the team does being seen isn't that big of a deal.

@24jg13 – I'm more than happy to shake a finger at Nate when I think he's screwed up, but I think blaming him for The Italian and all the events thereafter is a stretch. If she wanted the team, she would have found and gotten them, whether Nate was in prison or sunning on the beach. That's just who she is.

And I'm not sure why anyone would be pissed at Nate for the events of BBJ or SLJ. Let's face it, Eliot screwed that particular pooch by keeping secrets from the team. Hell, he was keeping secrets right up until the moment he walked an unsuspecting Hardison into a meeting with Moreau. Who knows what they might have been able to do if he'd just spoken up back in 301 and said, "Um, yeah, about Moreau …" So if anyone is to blame for Eliot being forced to pick up a gun and turn killer again, my vote goes to Eliot.

I noticed Eliot and Parker away from the rest of the team in odd moments and then she follows Eliot out after his blow-up with Nate. Is it possible Eliot and Parker are working on tagging the folks bugging\tailing the team? They are the two likely suspects to spot a tail\covert ops types and I wouldn't put it past them to try and run a bit of mis-direct on their mystery opponent. Just a thought.

@ChelseaNH - she was taking advantage of the opportunity he presented by getting himself arrested.

She was taking the opportunity to watch the team work as their "audition" to see if she wanted to use them for Moreau, but like @SueN said, she could have done that regardless of whether Nate was in prison.

@SueN - And I'm not sure why anyone would be pissed at Nate for the events of BBJ or SLJ.

Exactly. This kind of thing is basically what I had in mind in my 5:39 post yesterday. I've seen a lot of posts at various places accusing Nate of ordering Eliot to kill or making him kill or causing the situation that forced Eliot to kill and that's not supported by the eps.

Maybe Nate feels responsible as the team leader but that's different from actually being a direct or indirect cause of what happened.

Nate does a lot to get criticized for - 403 made that clear - but he also gets blamed for a lot of stuff that's not his fault.

And on a more topical point - watched again with blazing sound and that car crash was super jarring. I love a good car crash shot from inside the car.

There's almost some part of me wondering if Eliot's resentment of Nate is amplified by the fact that Nate has seen "Dark Eliot." I think Eliot knows his place in the team, and knows that if it ever gets down to the worst of the worst, he's the one who's going to have to do the worst, which is clearly part of his life he'd rather have behind him.

I was glad to see Nate having a little apology at the end of the episode. I think what scares me the most is the feeling that he isn't aware of his self-destructive tendencies.

I suppose I should ask a question, though, since I have a billion. Are we ever going to see a Nate/Hardison pairing for an extended time in an episode? We've seen most other pairings, even briefly, but we haven't seen Hardison and Nate paired up for a long point of time, and I feel like the two could do with a little bit of bonding. It seems like Hardison is always trying to gain Nate's approval, and Nate's always playing the slightly disapproving parent, and the two have a lot they could teach each other - Hardison could teach Nate about how to evaluate risks before taking them (see: Parker) and Nate could teach Hardison about how to rein in just a little bit of the overconfidence (see: The Iceman).

I can feel the consequences coming, but I, too, hope we're not going to retread season 2. I have faith in you guys, though.

(Also, can someone please make a .wav or .mp4 file of Parker saying "Squee" for me? I'd really, really, REALLY like that to be my message alert sound on my phone... squee.... )

Fun epsiode! Loved the yoda debate and Parker's "squee". (I missed it on first watch and was rolling when I caught it again.)

The aspect of "Don't forget Nate is a Jerk" seems to be coming through very strongly so I'm wondering is that just for the potential newbies who might be watching or is it being built up so other things might land more strongly later down the line?

Not really an episode related question but: Will Leverage have a presence at Comicon this year? I've seen a couple writers/producers on the panel lists but haven't found a show panel. Leverage had one last year and I was hoping to catch one this year.

And related question more about the industry: big fan-shows and cons that generate buzz - and occasionally draw off resources. Obviously to the fans these are big deals, but what about within the TV industry? How much pressure is there from the top to attend? How important of a marketing tool is it really?

Coming from the video game industry, I'm curious about your view of the super-mega-con.

Great episode! I am loving the new tone you guys are taking on for "Leverage"...a lot of questions I have have already been asked, but I noticed a couple of scenes that were interesting in the sense that they were a bit...off.

Question 1: The scene with Sophie and Hardison (btw, LOVE them together, they should have more to do together) while Hardison is working on Nate's backround check and Sophie says something, looks over to him and then gets all blustered...what was that about? Is she mad he wasn't listening and participating in her lil mind meld thing like Nate does with her. (Like I mentioned before, I love scenes with just Sophie and Hardison...their scenes have a different vibe then the rest and I am intriqued)

Question 2: When Eliot and Parker were checking out the brochures and Eliot mentions the seminiar "you can't love him until you love yourself" and Parker says "we should go to that one"...it seemed like it was played for laughs but instead of the usual "there's something wrong with you" look, he looks at her with real thoughtfulness...was this another acknowledgement of sorts that he knows there's something going on with Parker and Hardison and of her trying to work through her issues?

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this Q&A with us...this is truly going above and beyond.

I know you can't do it this year (since you've practically finished scripting the season), but will we ever get to hear updates of Hardison's World of Warcraft character? The last time we heard about it, he mentioned that the "new expansion" was going to be dope (since I assume at the time you wrote/filmed it, Blizzard hadn't announced the Wrath of the Lich King title)... but we've now completed that expansion and are in the middle of Cataclysm. At some point we need to know how he feels about the rebuilt Azeroth. Not to mention what his character actually is (my guess would be Forsaken warlock with Enchanting/Engineering professions.)

He choose to do that. Nate and the Italian walked out of the door after the first moment. Eliot could have just done the same and barred the door behind him.

He didn't.

As staged, there was no reason for the extended gunplay, other than Eliot taking out the people who represent what he once was.

(And frankly, if he was so broken up about it, I would have liked to have seen that in SLJ, but it didn't even touch on any lingering ramifications.)

As for him having issues with half-made plans...where were the issues when he marched onto a plane for an unknown goal with nothing more than a badge? Or popping into steal a dagger at random? Or lets break into the godfather's house during his daughter's wedding? Or walking into the king of crime's swim party?

All 3 jobs so far this season have been time sensitive. Of the "we do this now, or innocent people suffer" variety. When Joker escapes, Batman doesn't say "Oh well, I'll get to him after a week of planning." When Kang comes a'calling, Wolverine downs his beer and gets to business. Elliot, frankly this season, needs to man up.(and it's not like they've been up against really bad villains...2 standard rich white guys and one evil Photoshop user with a garden variety hench thug.

This question actually belongs on the 3:01 episode, Christian gave an interview and said " Dean Devlin personaly told me we went OVER 5 million on this first episode ". Is that true, I've seen you tweet that an episode cost you 2 million so does that mean the first episode was 7 MILLION ?

One thing to keep in mind regarding Nate telling Eliot to take the rest of the job off and Eliot turning up anyway is that through the previous seasons, there have been hints here and there that really suggest that Eliot does not think of himself as working *for* Nate. He generally listens to Nate, because he knows how to work in a team and that's how their team works, but at the end of the day, like someone else pointed out - he leaves the team when HE decides he's going to leave.

Plus, it seems pretty clear (again from things sprinkled here and there through the seasons) that as far as Eliot is concerned, one of his jobs that goes above and beyond working with the team is PROTECTING the team, at least as much as it's possible to do so, given what they do. So I find it really hard to picture him walking out on a job as instructed and actually just leaving them without his backup - he'd maybe be out of the plan, but he'd still stick around to make sure that if it went horribly wrong, everyone at least got out.

Now, maybe he'd walk away AFTER that, but mid-job? Doesn't seem to fit, at least not after this long as part of the team.

Oh jeez, I was so worried when Eliot and Nate were arguing. Not even 'possibility of violence' worried, just that weird gut-worry when you see family members arguing. Er, yeah, perhaps I need to get out more. Is this season going to have more of the "Nate does/says something questionable to the team" a la hypnotizing Hardison last season? The whole foundation of trust--the "little more than a team" that makes them so much better than the other crim-team we saw in Two Live Crew seems to be rather shaky.

Also, I love love love the fact that Parker has such a geeky streak. Ghostbusters, getting Star Trek refs, and able to argue with Hardison about puppet v. CGIYoda...geek love is my fave :D

And I second that request for more hats. Though from what I've seen of the promo pics for the next episode, the costumes are gonna be epic.

re: Nate and Eliot -- The way I see it, the problems they're having stem from the fact that they're approaching their relationship from two different angles. Nate still sees himself as the mastermind, the sole leader of the team. Eliot sees the two of them as complementary equals*, and therefore rankles whenever Nate starts ordering him around like a subordinate and not listening to legitimate logistical concerns.

Also, yes, Eliot seems as though he's still working through the aftermath of San Lorenzo, but he's trying really hard to keep that part of himself separate from the rest of the team. His job is to keep them safe, and he's not letting anyone get in the way of that.

[* The man with the way in, and the man with the way out, as it were.]

I've been thinking along similar lines. The fact that only two weeks passed in-universe between seasons strikes me as significant, since time in Leverage-land usually tracks closely with time in reality. The events of the Big Bang Job are still recent and raw for Eliot. And, as always he hasn't gotten his break. :)

That being said, Eliot's role as "older brother" and as hitter has always put him in the position of calling out Nate when he's out of control, and whether or not you share Eliot's anger Nate's been off the deep end pretty much every episode this season. Whether it's stumbling blindly into a physically dangerous job, pushing the envelope and taking unnecessary risks to get the mark or taking it too damn personally, he's coming up on his seasonal quota of job-affecting-craziness in a hurry.

Am wondering whether or not anyone else on the team knows about Eliot's shoot-out in the Big Bang Job yet - it doesn't seem like it, but still. Also whether or not Eliot at least grunted apologetically in Hardison's direction about the whole "nearly drowning" thing.

I don't agree with: the posters above /Robin and the Video Beagle). The problem isn't about equality. Elliot comes from a miltary background, so he accepts that someone else is the leader. He just wants, that the leader makes decisions, that don't get the team killed. and this has been Nates weak point for quite a while. He is willing to take personal risks (maybe because he thinks, that he has not a lot to live for).And I don't thnk, the big bang shootout was such a big thing for Elliot. Granted, he tried not to kill people in the years but he has done so before and these people where hardly innocent bystanders but gathered to kill him and his companions. I rather think he is concerned, that Nate pushes the team in situations where he isn't able to save them.

But to my question: Was this weeks episode: Lets show our favourite restaurants and shops week?

1. Would it be ok with the commentators/legal people if I did transcriptions of the commentaries and just, I don't know, posted them on Blogger or something? Because they are awesome, and everyone should get to experience them.

2. If I can do that, should I include all the "um"s? Because there are a lot. I don't mind doing it verbatim, but I don't want anyone to think I'm picking on them or anything...

Precisely skierfe. Eliot's concerns are perfectly legitimate. Batman may not wait a week to catch the Joker after he breaks out of prison but he doesn't get drunk either and change the plan on the fly because he wants to punish him.

Hi, since this is Emmy nomination time, I've wondered every year how come Leverage was never nominated for an Emmy. The writing is strong, the stories are coherent, and the actors are well cast. Is there something about the Emmy nomination process which excludes show like these?

On Nate/Eliot, I agree with skierfe. Nate's acting out of out of control, and Eliot is calling him on his shit, since a large part of the job going safely and successfully falls on Eliot's shoulders.

1. Was the grocery/cafe an actual Portland business (couldn't make out the lettering)?2. Was Emma's trailer shot at, or near the location for the Kaye Lynn's in the Studio Job?3. a) Not that we don't love seeing Christian's Challenger, but if Eliot's a lurker, why is he tailing the lackey in such a flashy car? b) Did Hardison ever change the pink slip back into Eliot's name?4. Who's idea was it for Parker to say "Squee"? Best idea ever!!!

Loved the episode, but it felt like it was missing a few beats for me.

First, I felt a bit like Rockwell giving in to the "I want recognition" hook was a bit too easy, especially since his whole business is about image and manipulation of the public consciousness. Given his great interplay with Nate when Nate was explaining the build up, it seemed to me that he'd be just as good at downplaying his sudden rise to fame as he is at destroying public figures. Also, trying to pay off the woman seemed like an amateur move, especially if we're to assume he's (almost?) as good at his job as the Leverage crew.

Second, while I intellectually grasp why Eliot was driving the second car in the crash, emotionally I feel cheated of a scene between Nate and Eliot that got them from Nate saying "why don't you take the rest of the con off" to Eliot driving the car.

In a completely unrelated-to-the-episode question, I have to ask: how influenced are you/the writers by the late, great Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series? I'm probably letting my fannish glee read too much into things but I can't help but draw parallels between my favorite show and my favorite heist author -- they plan cons in the back room of a bar! Nate's mastermind plans always go awry! You have an episode named "The Bank Shot Job"! (although, admittedly, the team doesn't actually steal the entire bank in that episode.)

Anyway, I love this show and I'm eagerly looking forward to this Sunday's episode!

@Lydiayes these were actual shops and restaurants. The restaurant where Sophie and Nate met the client was Gildas Italan Restaurant, the one where Parker didn't stabbed the mark with a fork was, I think, Metrovino and Hardison attempted his robbery at the Little Green Grocer. But since I'm not so much into shoes, although I'm female, I don't know the shoe shop.

Also, aside from staging, why did eliot move over to the seat next to parker when they were discussing Rockwell in the beginning? It seemed odd to devote a camera angle and cut to it.

No one else offered a comment, so I thought I might. I think it was 'cos Hardison was walking back and forth while explaining stuff, and Eliot was trying to see the info about Rockwell that was put up on the screen. Grumpy Eliot finally had enough of bobbing side to side to see, that he just moved into Hardison's seat next to Parker. Am assuming he didn't want to be looking at Hardison's back throughout the briefing.

I've no questions that haven't already been asked. Just a high-pitched squee for whosever's idea it was to have Hardison "yelp" at Parker's preference for CGI Yoda.

Since I was down on the last episode, let me say: the sharp writing exemplified in this episode is why I love the show so much. The banter, man, the banter! The team being who they are, and the plot and action coming out of that, was a delight.

In other news, we played the Leverage RPG last week. That's the best licensed game I've ever played, hands down.

First of all, shame on you all! Teasing us with Hardison and Parker's real kiss as other characters! (The other one in the First David Job didn't count as it was part of a con.)The episode was epic! Especially loved Eliot's off camera fight with just sound effects heard through Sophie and Nate's coms! A bit of genius.And after what GBellmansNo1Fan said - any chance of an episode about a roller derby team? Parker would make a great blocker!

Just thought of another question - Hardison created an extensive alias for Nate online in this one. Did he then go back and scrub the web to remove all that? As much as there's been talk of past marks going after the team, it would be kind of a funny riff to have someone go after not the team member but the alias that was created for them for a con.

I really appreciated the finely toothed evil speeches in this episode. Especially with what I understand the world of publicity and politics to be like. Such a fine line between "Mwahahaha!" and reality...

Anyway, I was interested to see another figure from Nate's past make an appearance in this ep. Especially one who seemed to have cleaned up more than Nate himself. Can we look forward to seeing more of the team's other affiliations make an appearance? What do you think are the pitfalls and demands of using a character from backstory in appearances like this?

My favorite of part of this particular episode is definitely the lady with the umbrella! HAHA!! I just wanted to say, thank you thank you! I was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard at that scene. Classic "what the...?!" moment right there. So, sorry CK! HAHA! I don't know how many takes that took to make, but the scene was worth it. We love what all of you guys do (sometimes at your own expense) to entertain the fans.